OUR TEAM
Our team possesses a wide range of experience, knowledge and skills.
Having come from all walks of life, the members of the ATT team, including full- and part-time volunteers and members, have each made the choice to dedicate themselves to the cause of Animal Freedom.
Laila Kassam PhD
Direction Lead
Laila is a founder and director of Animal Think Tank. As Mission Lead (Culture) she is responsible for building a healthy and resilient organisational culture to enable the delivery of Animal Think Tank’s mission.
Meet Laila
She is co-editor of the book ‘Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways Forward’ and co-founder of the Veterinary Vegan Network and Ethical Globe.
Laila worked in the international development sector from 2003 to 2018 with NGOs, foundations, government ministries and international research institutions. Her work focused on conducting research for rural development projects in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This ranged from planning multi-million dollar projects to assessing their impact on poverty and food security. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and by international organisations including CGIAR and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO). She has lived and worked in the UK, Switzerland, Kenya, Guyana, Malaysia and Ghana.
Laila has a PhD in Development Economics (SOAS), an MSc in Development Management (LSE) and a BSc in Economics and Politics (Bristol). She has a passion for permaculture and natural building. She takes pride in her Muslim heritage and in her spare time she loves to read, meditate and spend time with other animals, including her feline housemate Lucky.
Mark Westcombe
Direction Lead
Mark is a founder and director of Animal Think Tank. As Mission Lead (Task) he is responsible for building and resourcing Animal Think Tank’s organisational capacity and steering the delivery of organisational strategy and mission.
Meet Mark
He was a co-founder of Animal Rebellion and previously organised the UK’s Animal Rights Gathering (2017 & 2018).
Professionally Mark has worked as a management consultant and group facilitator specialising in risk mitigation, strategic decision making and project impact. He has worked for many national and international organisations, including HMRC, British Sugar, the NHS, Ministry of HE Indonesia, Ministry of Trade Sweden, and Ministry Of Defence. He was a lecturer in this area at Lancaster University Management School at BSc, MSc and MBA levels between 2001 and 2018. He is a trainer in Systems Thinking and Group Facilitation for his professional body, The Operational Research Society. He has twice been awarded teaching prizes for his work on incorporating diversity into the university syllabus. He has postgraduate training as a Group Analyst (Psychotherapy).
Mark was a founder and director of the multi-award-winning Lancaster Cohousing; and co-founder and director of the UK Cohousing Network 2006-2015, and chair 2013-2015. As a gay man, he has enjoyed organising several of Lancaster’s QueerFeasts, as well as helping organise Lancaster Pride in 2007. In his spare time he enjoys fell running; foraging; cooking; and generally being outdoors.
Kangan Upadhye
Strategy
Kangan, as Strategy Lead, is responsible for providing strategic direction by leveraging her knowledge of social change and comprehensive understanding of the political landscape.
Meet Kangan
Professionally, Kangan has excelled as a technology consultant, specialising in strategic and innovative IT projects coupled with effective project management. Her professional journey has been marked by a rich diversity of experiences, having lived in India, Australia, and the UK. She has received notable recognition for her innovative contributions to the technology industry, particularly in the microfinance sector in India.
Having completed her Master’s in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Kangan has actively contributed to projects with Daksh, Legal Think Tank, and the Ministry of External Affairs, India.
Kangan attributes her Digambara Jain heritage to shaping her values of non-violence, compassion, and love, leading her to maintain a plant-based diet throughout her life. Outside of work, she finds solace in the outdoors, immersing herself in nature, working in animal shelters, and continuing her passion for professional dance and filmmaking.
Beth Thomas
Narrative Lead
Beth is our Narrative Lead. She is responsible for helping the Narrative team be as innovative and effective as possible, and is also focused on long-term narrative strategy.
Meet Beth
She worked in Consumer Market Research after pursuing an English Language degree at Lancaster University. As a politically motivated person, she believes that all justice movements are connected and sees Animal Freedom as a site where most needs to be achieved.
Beth and her husband share their home with a grumpy old-lady cat named Katie who they adopted in 2017. In her spare time, Beth enjoys make-up, watching video essays, writing creatively and lying on the sofa eating crisps when she should be practicing yoga.
Dilan Fernando
Governance
Dilan is a core member of Animal Think Tank. As Governance Lead, he is responsible for enabling Animal Think Tank to organise at scale while staying resilient enough to achieve its mission.
Meet Dilan
Dilan has trained as a Self-Organisation Coach with Evolving Organisation, and holds deep knowledge of progressive governance systems like Holacracy and Sociocracy.
Dilan was integral in the early success of Animal Rebellion. Leading the organisation’s Media team in 2019, he helped the idea of a plant-based food system reach deep into mainstream consciousness. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Dilan co-founded Young Voices for Animals, where he created a youth leadership program and Australia’s first Youth Animal Rights Conference. He founded the Monash University Vegan Society and co-organised Melbourne’s March to Close All Slaughterhouses. He has delivered talks on social movement strategy at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies and Australia’s Animal Rights Forum. In the Australian anti-poverty movement, Dilan was a pioneering member of Monash SEED and a coordinator at Oaktree.
Dilan holds Bachelor degrees in Commerce and Economics from Monash University, and previously worked in Marketing at National Australia Bank. In his spare time Dilan enjoys calisthenics, playing the guitar, watching arthouse films and lamenting the performance of the Sri Lankan cricket team.
Natalie Braine
Narrative Research
Natalie leads our Narrative Research. Her work is focused on uncovering the values, metaphors, frames and narratives that will most persuade different demographics that Animal Freedom is an urgent social issue. She gathers hope and inspiration from other movements and campaigns that have helped change the narrative, and in turn changed society for the better.
Meet Natalie
After being involved with Extinction Rebellion in 2019 and witnessing first-hand the power of people standing up together to change the national conversation, Natalie went on to lead Animal Rebellion’s social media team later that year. It was here that she learned more about the role of storytelling in strategic campaigning.
Before joining Animal Think Tank full-time, Natalie worked in entertainment media (PR, journalism and book publishing), and is also a published novelist. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, exploring new places and being in nature with her favourite person, Hattie.
Pranav Merchant
Fundraising and Strategy
Pranav focuses on Fundraising and Strategy at Animal Think Tank. His work involves developing and implementing ways for ATT to raise funds as well as supporting ATT’s long-term strategy work through a variety of research initiatives, such as by public-facing focus groups.
Meet Pranav
Pranav’s professional background is in the world of finance and technology. He began his career in investment banking and then transitioned to corporate advisory, business operations and corporate finance for Silicon Valley tech companies. Despite his prior professional focus, he always remained interested and involved in animal rights work, usually as a volunteer.
Of Indian descent, Pranav was raised in sunny Southern California and now lives in Lancaster, where has morphed into a true Brit and now loves the cold, cloudy, and rainy weather.
Bárbara Buril, PhD
Strategy
Bárbara is our Social Movement Strategist. She is responsible for developing and championing our theory of change as well as supporting the organisation in its strategic planning. She concerns herself with high-level strategy; thinking about how a social movement can grow, build power and create change.
Meet Bárbara
Bárbara hails from Brazil, where she studied communication and philosophy. True to her conviction that ideas and discourses have the power to change social reality, she took her studies on Critical Theory up to a PhD. After volunteering on a vegan farm, she decided to dedicate her life to advancing the interests of fellow animals. She soon understood that although the lives of animals raised for consumption are rife with suffering, the issue is direly neglected across the political spectrum—and came to see fighting for animals as a way to fight for social justice.
Bárbara has published several articles in specialized journals and mainstream newspapers, speaks four languages, and has lived in many different countries. In her free time, she enjoys meditating, running, cooking vegan dishes from around the world, and spending time with her baby dog Louis.
Robert Udale
Public Research and Testing
Rob leads our public research and testing. His role is to conduct research to determine the messages, frames, metaphors, and narratives which most persuade people to support Animal Freedom. He hopes that one day this research will help to shape the conversation at a societal level about Animal Freedom.
Meet Rob
Rob gained his PhD in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol. His past research investigated the mental processes which support our ability to remember, think, and make decisions. Rob became interested in Animal Freedom activism in 2022 where he began volunteering with his local animal rights group to reach out to the local community and encourage veganism. He has also volunteered with Animal Rebellion on their “Stop the supply” and “Feed our future” campaigns.
In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, video games, and playing chess. He lives at home with his wife, his son, a grumpy hedgehog, and three somewhat cocky hens.
Elif Nazlıgül Çınaroğlu
Brand Strategist
Nazlı is our Brand Strategist and soon-to-be Office Manager. They are involved in shaping brand strategies through alliance building, fostering unity in the movement, narrative development, and thought leadership sharing. Additionally, they contribute to social media management, website upkeep, and content creation.
Meet Nazlı
They moved to the UK in 2022 from Turkey to pursue their master’s in digital marketing. Nazlı believes in the power of intersectionality in causes, such as feminism, LGBTIQ+ rights, and the animal rights movement. They have volunteered as an activist with several vegan organisations worldwide, including Animal Save Movement and their current involvement with Animal Rising. Furthermore, they helped to spread the word veganism in Turkey through VEGvorous, an online platform they co-founded in 2018.
Nazlı shares their life with Kadife, a 7-year-old rescue cat. Kadife enjoys accompanying Nazlı on forest walks, yelling at closed doors, and eating plant-based cat food!
David Boden
Social Movement Governance
David is our Social Movement Governance lead. He is responsible for building the capacity and sustainability of local groups and their alignment with a coordinated national strategy. This includes conceptualising national and local group governance best practice whilst developing resources and training for social movement organisers.
Meet David
David has experience of working and organising within social activist groups, university societies and poetry working groups. He is particularly interested in the role of pre-figurative politics in organising activist spaces, the structure of democratic processes in decentralised organisations and their potential in reaching across cultural, social and political divides.
Originally wanting to join the Royal Marines, David became interested in animal ethics after studying Philosophy at college. This led him to achieve a 1st class undergraduate degree from Lancaster University in Philosophy and a master’s degree with Distinction from Durham University in Philosophy. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing poetry, board games, going to the gym and (eventually) learning Spanish.
Natasha Matsaert
Messaging Lead
Natasha is the messaging lead at Animal Think Tank. She holds responsibility for creating persuasive messages, stories, framing and narratives to excite and engage our base. She will also be involved in training local grassroots groups in the basics of narrative, helping build expertise in story-based strategy within the animal freedom alliance.
Meet Natasha
Natasha recently completed a Master’s degree in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter. Her past research has explored the importance of re-centering embodied, emotional knowledge and connections across social justice issues in the animal freedom movement. Throughout her Master’s, Natasha has worked with multiple charities and activist groups, utilising her skills in visual and written communication to spearhead creative projects that effect change. She sees herself as a vegan-feminist and is particularly interested in the creative power of the arts in activism.
In her spare time, Natasha enjoys drawing and painting, creative writing, meditating, and squirrel-watching. She also hopes to start a cycling for wildlife group to create memorials for animals killed on roads.
Emilie Pujol
Social Movement Culture
Emilie’s role is to create strong cultural foundations for the Social Movement, based on Animal Think Tank’s core values. She is researching the best practices that will allow people in the Social Movement to flourish, collaborate and step into their power, giving particular attention to conflict transformation, care and support.
Meet Emilie
She was born and raised in France and was part of the French climate justice movement for several years before dedicating herself entirely to the cause closest to her heart: the liberation of all animals. She was the co-founder and leader of Earth Resistance, a French animal rights organisation, between 2017 and 2019. She trained dozens of antispeciesist activists on the strategy of nonviolence and civil disobedience and organised several direct actions. She is trained in Nonviolent Communication and is passionate about psychology, sociology, strategy and social change theory – any field that can help social movements become transformative and powerful.
She has degrees in Literature, History and Political Science. She loves reading (her favourite author is Virginia Woolf) but also finds great joy in musicals, video games, getaway weekends and broccoli.
Bethany Powell
Public Research and Testing
Bethany is the Public Research and Testing Qualitative Lead. Her role is to conduct research to determine the values, messages, and narratives which most persuade different demographics and psychographics to support Animal Freedom.
Meet Bethany
Bethany became vegan in 2017 after watching Earthlings, which inspired her to pursue a career that would empower her to contribute to the animal freedom movement. She has a 1 st class degree in Animal Welfare and Society and a MSc in Animal Welfare, Behaviour, Law and Ethics – writing her dissertations on vegan-feminist theory and animal rights. Alongside her studies she volunteered at numerous animal rescues abroad, completed an Internship for Compassion in World Farming and acted as a student fundraiser for Brooke, Action for working horses and donkeys.
In her spare time, she likes to read, travel, watch documentaries (particularly Louis Theroux) and spend time with her two adopted cat daughters, Bonnie and Bay.
Owen Oliver
People
Owen is our People lead within our Culture team. He holds responsibility for member recruitment, orientation and onboarding. He is also a part of our organisational Care Support and Connection system and the Conflict Transformation system.
Meet Owen
He was a full time member in 2019 of the Talks and Trainings team at Animal Rebellion. In this role he reached out to people across the country organising talks and Nonviolent Direct-Action trainings, as well as delivering them himself. Owen has engaged in many different outreach groups and has enjoyed the positive interactions he has had with people doing this. He is also a speaker on Animal Resistance.
He has a 1st class degree in Philosophy, wrote his dissertation on Animal Rights, and is trained in Nonviolent Communication. Owen claims that since going vegan in 2018 he has yet to meet another Vegan interested in football and he longs for the day when he finds another Vegan as passionate about football as he is.
Hattie
Wellbeing Extraordinaire
Hattie came to the UK in 2017, after living on the streets in Romania. Despite her traumatic start in life, she continues to see the best in all human animals.
Meet Hattie
At Animal Think Tank, she reminds the team about the need for regular stretches, breaks and the importance of sharing snacks. Hattie loves exploring new places, squirrel-watching and belly rubs. She’s looking forward to more animals joining the team.
At Animal Think Tank, she reminds the team about the need for regular stretches, breaks and the importance of sharing snacks. Hattie loves exploring new places, squirrel-watching and belly rubs. She’s looking forward to more animals joining the team.
Lottie
Kinship Collaborator
Lottie joined the team in January 2023. She loves food in any form it comes, chewing bag straps and running in the woods. As a survivor of abuse, she is rediscovering her kinship with human animals. She helps remind the team that when someone is allowed to be themselves, they can truly thrive. She also reminds them that the comfy yellow chairs belong to her and Hattie.
And thanks to changemakers:
Logo design: Lorenzo Jacopo Sciuca
Website rebrand: MAD Ideas
Photography: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals plus others as credited
Thanks to our diverse and courageous supporters, whose collective action is helping to create the future for fellow animals.